Dying to Love
by WeeKittyAndTAT
Summary: FBI coroner Masen, tries to find evidence to stop the Necromance Killer. With the newest 'victim' really alive, will her information help him catch the killer? One-shot for Halloween. Joint collaboration of: Weekitty and TeamAllTwilight.


Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. Special thanks goes out to toocute24 and BoosBoys for all of their last minute help getting this done. Any and all mistakes are owned by Weekitty and TeamAllTwilight.

Happy Halloween!

One-Shot: Dying To Love

EPOV

I rub my face before taking a drink of the strong, black coffee and then place the mug down in front of me. I open the file laying on my work desk, and then the one with the newly downloaded photos from the crime scene on my computer. I scan over all the photos of the latest victim of the _'__Necromance__Killer__'__._ This is victim number twelve; the killings have been spread out over the past five years.

The deaths started out slowly, but have been steadily increasing. The current victim is the fourth this year alone, and we have little to nothing to go on. Once he chooses his victim, she's gone, as well as any hope of finding her.

There is no evidentiary pattern to his choice either. Each victim, so far, has been completely different: hair and eyes color, age, race; we just can't seem to find a commonality between them. Once he chooses his victims, they disappear without any trace, only to have their body reappear ten, or more, weeks later. While we can't find a pattern in how he chooses them, the links connecting the murders are clear and concise. He washes their bodies completely, always using the same honey-scented body wash.

We're certain that he drugs them before killing them, and after they're dead, he violates them.

I shiver at the thought of him having sex with the victims—not that I would call it that—after he kills them.

That little piece of information was leaked out after the third victim was found, and the media tagged the serial killer with a nickname: the 'Necrophilia Romance Killer', or 'Necromance Killer' for short.

I just call him, 'The Sick Fuck.'

I've been an FBI agent for the past six years, but I also have my medical degree. I was hired on as the FBI's Coroner; also known here as the Head of Medical Forensic Science Investigations. I studied for several years, and not only am I considered one of the best coroners in the United States, but I have a knack for finding things other people miss.

Since this case has become a priority of the FBI, I now handle all the autopsies. I am also present at each and every crime scene where a victim is found, and I personally transport the victim to my lab.

I will catch this guy, even if it's the last thing I do on this earth. I just hope I can do it before anyone else gets hurt.

This killer is slippery and doesn't leave much in the way of clues. I've been working on this case for the past three and a half years. That's how long it's been solely in the hands of the FBI to investigate.

Once it was establish that we were dealing with a serial killer—a fucking scary one at that—my mentor and boss, Carlisle Cullen, was given this case. There are four other FBI agents working on it with us.

Jasper Whitlock is the lead FBI psychologist and profiler, who has done a full criminal profile on the Necromance Killer. We believe him to be a Caucasian male, between twenty-five and forty years old, with above average intelligence. We're assuming that he is well built as well, since some of the victims have been on the larger side. We do know that he works alone; the crimes tell us this is not something he would willingly share. We believe that he has a high-paying job, or access to unlimited funds. He also fears being rejected by women, and desires a sexual partner who is incapable of rejecting him.

Jasper has suggested that he suffers from Necrophilia: the sexual attraction to corpses.

We believe he started out having sexual intercourse with any human corpse he could, but for whatever reason, he decided to start picking his own partners out. Jasper believes that he may even have tried to pick some of the victims up in bars or nightclubs. When the victims rejected him, he kidnapped them and killed them for revenge. Jasper believes that once he has them, he kills them almost immediately. He always drugs them, kills them, and then carries out his sexual desires on them.

Like I said: The Sick Fuck!

I return my attention to the file laying on my desk, focusing on the personal information that was put together when she was first reported missing.

Name: Isabella Marie Swan

Nickname: Bella

Date of Birth: October 31, 1990

She would be turning 21 today, if she was still alive. She is the youngest one so far.

Height: 5'4

Weight: 110lbs

Parents

Father: Chief Charlie Swan - Deceased

Mother: Renee Dwyer - Lives in Florida.

Stepfather: Phil Dwyer – Lives in Florida.

Siblings: None

Occupation: Bartender at Twilight Bar and Grill (Part Time), College student at Dartmouth (Full Time). Currently in third year of her degree in English literature.

Residence: 26 West Wheelock Street, Apt. 3 Hanover, New Hampshire 03755.

Roommates: Angela Weber and Ben Cheney (Angela and Ben are a couple.) Angela was a childhood friend, and moved to New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth the same year as Isabella.

Known Details: Isabella was last seen at six p.m. on the ninth of September two-thousand-eleven. Angela reported her friend missing at three a.m. on the tenth of September, when Bella did not come home after her shift at the Twilight Bar. The bar was only located two blocks from her home. Angela was asked to call back later if she hadn't heard from her friend. At four that morning, Angela had gotten ahold of Jessica Stanley, a co-worker of Isabella's. Jessica informed Angela that Bella never made it to work that night. When Angela recalled the local police, they failed her again by not taking any information. Knowing something was off since Bella always walked the two blocks to work, and her truck was missing from the parking lot, she called the FBI hotline.

The FBI took the information and put out an APB on Isabella's vehicle. The truck was found halfway between her apartment and the local shopping center. There was no sign of her or a struggle.

After a tentative search, her case was turned over to us for fear that she had become the next victim. By the time the file reached us, it had been three weeks since her disappearance.

She was found in a house today, in the early hours of the morning. The fire and rescue crew discovered her when they went to evacuate the premises. The house next door was on fire and in jeopardy of catching the surrounding houses on fire as well. When the fire crew broke into the house in order to clear it, they got quite the surprise. In the process, they managed to find her body, which, ironically, was lying on an autopsy table.

Because of the circumstances with the fire, this is the first crime scene I haven't been to personally. They managed to get in and get some digital photos of the house, but her body had already been removed. I really had my work cut out for me on this one. The pictures of the crude, horrid atmosphere this poor girl was in for the past several weeks of her life, was heartbreaking to see. The only bright side is that we managed to get the house where the killer tortured his victims. All the other victims had been dumped in various parts of New Hampshire.

The other agents on this case are at the house, gathering as much evidence as they can. We're hopeful that the fucker has left something for us, now that we're on his turf.

I run my hands over my face, after closing the file. I begin to prepare for the autopsy. The girl is on my table now, and it breaks my heart to see her body lying here, covered with a white sheet. I hope that because we found her before the killer was done with her, we'd saved her body from all the torturous things that happened to the other victims.

Every coroner has their own way of doing things. I keep the body covered, except for the area I am working on. I start with the head and neck before I move to the hands, feet, and legs. I leave the middle section for last, because it's always the most invasive part of an autopsy.

I put on my gloves and head over to the table, before pressing the record button on the hanging tape recorder.

"This is Agent Masen starting the autopsy of Isabella Swan. Time is: 18:45 on October thirty-first two thousand eleven. Isabella Swan is a white female, aged twenty-one years old today. She measures out at sixty-four inches in length, and her current body weight is ninety-two pounds, eleven ounces."

Now that's strange; the file listed her weight as being over one hundred pounds.

I find it interesting that she's lost weight. We have very detailed medical records, since she had just been for her yearly physical two weeks before she went missing.

"There is a honey smell coming off of her; much like the other victims. I am beginning at her head to check for wounds or markings of any kind."

I bend down to her ear and speak softly to her, like I always do. I know it's odd, but I talk to my patients; it helps me through the process.

"Happy birthday, Isabella. I wish it was under happier circumstances that we were meeting. I'm sorry about this, honey; I promise I'll be as quick and as gentle as I can."

I place my hand on her head, looking for any cuts or abrasions, in my search for evidence and injury.

"She has the same broken heart, branded on back of her neck at her hair line."

The killer's signature, which no one knows about, other than those on the case, is to brand all of his victims.

"There is visible bruising to her left cheek, as well as markings on her neck that indicate she may have been choked. There are also several bruises on her right shoulder and down the length of her right arm. There appears to be a partial hand print on the inside of her upper arm. We may be able to get a print form this." I dust her arm, being extremely careful with the finger print.

Fuck, it's no use! It is severely smudged and won't lift off her skin.

"The partial print is unusable with no discernible patterns. I'm going to swab the skin for possible DNA."

I move down to her right hand and smile, turning to look at her face. "Good girl… she has defensive wounds on her palms and finger tips. It appears that she may have fought her attacker. I'm going to scrape under her fingernails for possible trace evidence." I get the nail file out, and raise her hand over the clean sterile tray. "Sorry, honey. This will only hurt for a minute." Once I finish scraping under her nails, I brush the skin cells into an evidence bag, seal it, and mark it.

Feeling really pleased that this time we may have gotten something, I smile up at her face. "You did good, little one. You did really well. I am so happy to see that you fought back. I know that you'll help me get this fucker. Together, We will get him together."

Ring…Ring…

"Sorry, little one, I need to get that. Agent Masen pausing process at 19:13." I switch off the recoding, remove my gloves, and then answer the phone.

"Agent Masen," I say as a greeting.

"Hey, how is the autopsy going? We're almost done with the house." I sigh hearing Emmett on the other end.

"Just started, but we may have something. Em, she put up a good fight. I got a partial print, but it's pretty smudged, and pretty much useless. I also got a bunch of skin cells from under her nails. This could very well be the break we need in this case," I say in an upbeat tone. I can't stop the anger that courses through me, before I say, "I just wish we had saved this girl."

"I hear you man; she was so young. From what I saw in the photos, she was beautiful, too. I'm glad you got some stuff there, but that's why I'm calling. We got a shit load here, too. We found a bunch of drugs and supplies: needles, vials, pills, and a ton of medical equipment. I can't even pronounce half the names, let alone tell you what they do. There's some cult or voodoo shit here, too. I gathered all of it and have it in a large box for you. I thought you'd want to see it before we send it off to the lab. Unless you want me to send it there first?"

"Bring it here to me. I want to have a look first. See you soon, Em." I hang up the phone head back over to her.

"Shit, little one, it sounds like we've got a lot to go on this time. I've never been so happy that a druggie was brewing meth in his house and set it ablaze before. His poor choices helped us find you. Hopefully it'll also help us stop this killer. I've got a feeling that we're going to get him. We'll get him and put him way for a long time. All because of this mountain of evidence you've given us, and a stoned crack-head blowing himself up."

As I glance back up at her, I see her hair is now falling over her forehead. I use my fingertips to place it back behind her ear, but as my finger touches her cheek I feel a spark. I quickly realize that I haven't put my gloves back on. I smile at her, and look out the window. "The moon is so big and bright tonight. It's always extra spooky when Halloween falls on a full moon. I wish you could see it; I bet you'd enjoy it."

I pick up a fresh pair of gloves and start the recording again "It's 19:38, this is Agent Masen, resuming the autopsy of Isabella Swan."

After finishing up on her left arm and hand, and bagging the evidence, I move on to her legs. Continuing to speak into the recorder as I look her over, documenting the entire process. "There are some bruises on her lower left leg. Here's something interesting: her toenails appear to have been painted recently. They are currently a bright red color, and from the profile information about Isabella, I don't believe she did this herself." I made sure to do extensive background work on Isabella and this just doesn't seem like something she would do.

I carefully look over both legs and see two puncture-like marks on the upper-inside of her right thigh. "There are two puncture wounds on the inside of her right thigh. The wounds appear almost like those of a snake bite. Swabbing area for DNA testing and a chemical breakdown." I take a closer look at it as I swab the area. I can't place why it looks strange, but there is something about these puncture wounds that draws my attention. I look up at her again. "What did he do to you, little one?"

As I move around her body to stand at her left side, there is a loud bang outside the window that I'd just been looking out. I swear I jumped about two feet in the air. Looking up toward the window, I see a bird flapping around.

"That stupid bird scared me half to death," I chuckle. I look down to face Isabella, who's head is now facing in the same direction as the window.

"Yeah, don't think I can't see you laughing at…"

What the fuck!

I look toward the window, and then back to her head, confirming that it's now turned toward the window. Isabella's head, which was facing the ceiling only a minute ago, is now facing the window.

"Bella, weren't you looking up at the ceiling earlier? Fuck, I think I'm going insane." I rub my face, trying to shake the fact that it appears as if Bella has moved her head.

"Masen, get a grip! I know it is Halloween, but you've probably just watched too many scary movies. You also haven't slept in like two days. It's your mind playing tricks on you. Get on with this," I tell myself.

I move back around the table, get the other stuff I need to start my autopsy, and move back over to her. "Okay Isabella, this is the hard part, little one. I need to perform a pelvic exam. I promise not to hurt you, I just need to take a few swabs inside and along the folds of your vagina. I know this part isn't any fun for either of us, but it needs to done, little one."

I look up at her again before I start, and notice that she's now facing away from the window, almost as if she's looking at the door.

I stand up, put down all of the swabs I was holding, and grab for the recorder. I rewind and listen to the tape from the time the bird hit the window. I listen to the whole recording and confirm the fact that I verbally noted the direction of her face. I feel like I'm losing it, but I have it documented on the tape.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" I grip the recorder and rewind once more, confirming that I had indeed heard it correctly. I look at her again, completely confused.

Fuck Masen, come on! Dead people can't move.

I put the tape recorder back and approach her, turning her head so it's facing the ceiling again like it should be. I lean down toward her and press my cheek against her mouth before turning so that I can look at her face. I move my fingers to her eyelids, and lift the left one open. I watch her eye as her pupil constricts, reacting to the brightly lit room.

I hear a scream as I stagger backwards, falling over my equipment table and landing on my ass. When I glance up at the autopsy table, I notice that Bella looks terrified, too. I sit here for a few minutes, shaking my head. The whole time, the mantra is going through my head, telling me she has to be dead.

What could be causing my mind to play tricks on me? What reason could there possibly be? Maybe this case has finally caused me to loose what little saneness I had left. This case has finally made me mad, insane, over the edge, wacko, nutty, I have officially fruited my loops.

Maybe she is one of those undead people: a zombie, vampire, or witch. Maybe she's not really dead. How could that be, though? How could the medics at the scene assume she is dead when she isn't?

I know her body was brought here as soon as she was pronounced dead at the scene, and they confirmed that it was Isabella Swan, but they all said she was dead. How can she be alive? She has to be alive.

Either she's alive, or I am certifiably crazy. No matter what way this goes, I need a vacation. I can't argue that one at all; I definitely need a vacation. Oh, my goodness, she is alive!

That means we finally have him. There is no way that we won't catch him now. We'll know what the fucker looks like because we finally have a reliable witness.

I was pulled out of my mental thoughts by a soft moan. I hear it again, another pain filled moan, so I focus on Bella, who looks like she's try to speak. I pick myself back up and move over to her, causing her eyes to widen with fear.

"Bella, you're okay. My name is Agent Masen. I'm going to help you, okay? I just need to run into my office. It'll only take a few seconds. I need to grab my medical bag; I usually don't need a stethoscope, or blood pressure cuff in here."

Fuck! She looks really fucking scared.

"Ppp plea dot le hr," she slurs out.

I look at her, unable to understand what she's saying. "I promise I will be right back." I hold up my finger to indicate that I will just be a minute.

As I move to leave her, something pulls my arm back. I look down to see her hand holding my sleeve. I look at her face, and see tears coming from her eyes.

"Pl enh er," she slurs out again.

My eyebrows crease as I replay her words in my head, trying to understand. Then it dawns on me: she was on an autopsy table when she was found, and doesn't want to be left on the table.

Good going, Masen. The girl was found on an autopsy table after being kidnapped. She had God only knows what done to her, and you expect her to stay on your table willingly?

"Can you move?" I ask as I look her in the eyes. I see her feet and legs flinch a bit as she tries hard to get her body to move. She continues to try for another few seconds before giving up, and I can see the fear radiating in her eyes.

"Nu," she slurs out, conceding that she cannot move on her own.

I run my hand though my hair, unsure of what I should do first. I mean, I'm a smart guy, some may even say brilliant, but right now I am so out of my element.

"Look, Bella, shit okay. I know you've been through a lot. Would you be comfortable with me carrying you to my office?"

She looks back at me, blinking. "Ye," she slurs.

"Okay, I take that as yes?" I say more as a question, than a statement.

She looks at me, blinking again.

"Bella can you blink two times for me?"

She blinks twice and I smile at her.

"Okay. That's good for now. I'm going to ask you a question in yes or no format. If the answer is yes, then blink twice. For no, don't do anything, okay?"

She blinks twice.

"Good. Is it okay for me to carry you into my office with me?"

She blinks twice at me. I smile at her, pushing her hair behind her ear. I wrap the sheet around her as much as I can, still feeling the coolness of her skin. "Okay here we go," I say before picking her up.

I carry her to my office and place her on the couch before getting my medical bag. Walking back to the couch, I can still see the fear. Maybe I should take the time to introduce myself to her and see if I can get her to relax a little bit.

"Before I check you out, I feel that you're at quite the disadvantage. Let me tell you who I am, and a little about why you're with me. I am Edward Anthony Masen. I'm a FBI agent, and have been for the past six years. I have a medical degree, and I'm the head forensic coroner."

She looks at me, still with fear in her eyes.

Well of course there is fear in her eyes. She was thought to be dead after the horrid trauma she's already been through. Maybe if you show her your badge and that you're not going to hurt her, she'll calm down.

I reach down and open the medical bag to show her my identification as well as my FBI shield. I watch her as she examines my credentials, and notice her eyes still hold fear as she looks back at me.

"Yo yu," she stops and blinks her eyes at me.

"Bella, little one, let me check you over. I have some spare clothes of mine here that you can put on. I'm hopeful your voice should come back more soon, but I need to know what he gave you. I'll need to draw some blood so I can figure it out, okay? You're already able to move better now than you could a few minutes ago. I think the drugs he gave you are withering away. So can I check you over?"

She blinks twice. I check her over, noticing that her heart rate is slow, very slow, and that her blood pressure is low, too.

"I need to take a blood sample from you. Is that all right Bella?"

As I look at her, I see the heightened fear alive in her again. "Bella, what's wrong? Please trust me. I promise I won't harm you." She slightly shakes her head, and points to the needle.

"N…no ike." I smile, seeing and hearing her voice slowly returning.

"I'll be really quick, I just need to see what he gave you. It's still in your blood, but I want to do this now so we can use it as evidence. I also want to see if I can give you anything to help counteract it. If you don't want me to do the blood draw, I understand. You're more important than this blood test." I start putting the needle away.

What was I thinking? She is so afraid as it is, of course a needle would terrify her. This girl has been through enough, damn Masen, use your head!

I feel a hand touch mine, pulling me out of my mental self-lashing. I look up at her, and see her nod her head. Raising her arm slightly, she turns to look away.

"Do you want me to take the blood, Bella?"

"Ye," she slurs. I quickly pull the needle back out of my bag, prepping things to be ready for the blood draw. I know that she really needs a distraction.

"You know what I did last night in preparation of Halloween?" I ask. Not waiting for an answer, I continue on. "I watched a film about a boogieman with my sister, Lilly. She had brought her goofball boyfriend over for dinner. I was trying to embarrass her, by scaring her while we watched the movie. I had her all wound up, and I thought it was really funny, until they left and I was all alone in my condo. I ended up scaring myself silly. I even ran in and jumped on my bed, just in case there was something underneath it." I smile to myself as I hear her chuckling. "There you go, all done."

She looks at me, still smiling. "Ta," she responds. I nod at her, with a smile of my own.

"Now, let's get you dressed," I say, rubbing my hand over my face. "Okay, t-shirt or shirt?" I ask, holding up both. She points to the shirt, so I help her slip it on and the button it for her. "I have a pair of shorts, and some sweat pants; both are clean. I was planning on going to the gym this afternoon, and then out with the guys tonight, so will that be ok?"

She nods her head, and I heard the raspy, "yes."

I bend down to help her get her feet through both pant legs of the shorts and then the sweats. Once they're ready to be pulled up, I move them under her knees up to her thighs.

"Now little one, I am going to have to remove the sheet before I can finish helping you pull them up. When I lift you up, hold onto my shoulders. I'll remove the sheet and pull them up. We're going to have to roll the waist a little, so they don't fall off your slender hips.

She nods again, but doesn't attempt to verbalize her answer. I support her as I help her stand. Throwing the sheet aside, I pull the shorts up with my right hand and then pull up the sweats. I notice she is able to maintain her balance and stand a little better now.

"How do you feel about trying to go for a walk?" I ask. She nods her head, and I help her move around the room.

We move out of my office and into the autopsy room. Suddenly she freezes, and starts to cry. Crap, the room is scaring her!

"Bella, I am so sorry. Let's go back into my office.' When we get there, I sit her down on the couch again.

"I han druk?" she asks.

I look at her, trying to decipher what she's asking. "Oh, you want something to drink? I have some bottled water. Yeah let me get you some water." I sit next to her, helping her drink some water, and she smiles at me while nodding her head. I notice the color is coming back to her face.

"Bella, I would like to take your blood pressure and heart rate again. Is that okay?"

She nods. "Yes, tat okay."

I push her hair back so it's out of her eyes and notice she's looking me right in the eyes. It's almost like she is searching for something in me. I continue my assessment of her health, and am happy to see she is improving drastically. "You're doing well, honey. I'm pleased to say both have improved. You're only just below the average right now."

As I put away my stethoscope and blood pressure cuff, I notice her staring at my badge and photo identification card. She notices me watching her, so she looks away quickly. As soon as she thinks it is safe, I see her eyes trained back on the same things. "The photo was taken four years ago. I went through a goatee phase. I really need to get my picture updated."

"No ol noug doc," she says, pointing at me. I laugh as I realize she doesn't think I'm old enough to be a doctor.

"You're not the first to say that. I graduated high school at the age of fifteen. I had completed college, and medical school by the age of twenty-one, and completed my internship at Saint Raphael's, as a surgical intern. We had a rather horrid case come in that caused me to want to be on the criminal investigative side of the medical field. I started taking some criminal investigation classes, and when I turned twenty-four, I was hired by the FBI. I just turned thirty this past June."

She smiles at me and points at my face, "etter." I furrow my eyebrows at her, so she shows me my badge picture. "uch etter," she says and then points to my goatee in the picture, while scrunching up her face. I let out my first full laugh of the night in front of her.

"Not a fan of my goatee days then?" She shakes her head and looks back at the badge. I can see the fear clouding in her eyes again, and she seems very agitated.

"He…had…a," she slowly tries to enunciate each word. Getting frustrated with her inability to talk normal, she just points to my badge and says, "too!"

I look at her, and pull my desk chair closer and sit in front of her. "Are you trying to tell me that the man who took you had a badge?"

She nods her head and says, "real…one." Then she does something that completely blows me away. She points to the FBI insignia and nods, looking me in the eye. "He had an FBI badge, and it was a real one?" She nods her head again.

"He pil…pil," she closes her eyes, getting frustrated that she can't say the words. "He," she takes my hand and pulls me, then turns my palm over. I look at her, trying to work out what she is saying.

"Oh, he pulled you over?"

She nods her head.

"Bella could it have been a fake badge?"

She shakes her head, clearly sure it was real, but still manages to get the words to come out. "No…real," she points to herself and taps her head.

"You know what a real badge looks like, and how to tell if a badge is fake?"

She nods her head while she points to herself. "My…dad," she says and then holds up the badge. "howed me," she finishes. That's right. Her father was a cop, so she would know.

Fuck, that means... Shit! We're looking for an FBI agent. No wonder everything is always so fucking clean. No wonder the fucking killer was always one step ahead of us.

My heart starts to pound when I realize that Bella is still in danger. She's the only witness. Oh my God, what do I do? Who can I trust? I have to keep her safe. The thoughts are spinning through my mind as fast as can be. I'm giving myself a headache between the swarming thoughts and the pulling of my hair as I think it all over.

Making my decision on what I am going to do, I know there is no way that I can call this in. My first and foremost thought, is that I have to protect Bella.

"Eda," I feel Bella's hand on mine, as she looks at me worriedly. I know she wants to know what is going on in my head.

"We need to go. I'm going to fake your autopsy. I am so sorry, but we have no choice. Until we find the person who did this, Bella, I have to keep you safe. If this got out, that you're alive, he would know. I don't want him to come after you. I promise to keep you safe."

She starts to shake.

"I promise I will keep you alive, even with my dying breath." I pull her close to me to show her that I will protect her. I quickly explain that we have to do some of the testing that I didn't get to finish so that I have the 'evidence' I'll need for everything.

We set about doing that, the most uncomfortable part was having her undress to get the samples I needed from her. I got things finished up, managing to do everything in my office. I had to keep her off of that table at all costs. I wrapped up, and within an hour, I had managed to make it look as if I'd completed my work.

Finishing up, I help Bella to stand and pull her clothing back into place. I hear the door opening in the lab, and Bella looks like she's going to cry. Quickly, I shush her. "I promise to keep you safe. Just stay here, okay?" She nods.

I walk out and meet with Emmett at the door to the lab. I've known him for eight years, but right now, I don't trust anyone. Emmett and I met in the criminal investigation classes.

"Hey, Edward. Here's all the stuff I was telling you about," he says as he hands me a box. I move out of the doorway, closing it behind me as I head for my car.

"Taking your work home with you again tonight? Dude, you need a life. So, did the victim manage to tell you anything new?" he asks in his usual upbeat tone.

"She told me a lot Emmett."

"Yeah! I've got a good feeling about this one. We're going to get him this time; I can feel it in my bones. So, do you still want go and get a drink later tonight? Maybe we could even scope out a chick for you to enjoy the night with." Emmett wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"Emmett, first of all, you're married, and second, I haven't picked up a chick in about four years. I'm busy tonight, anyway. I'm sorry, but I have to pass."

He laughs at me. "Yeah I know all that, but come on! You haven't been laid in what, two years now?" Emmett questions, still managing to keep his upbeat tone.

"Sorry Emmett, not tonight. I need to get going. By the way, if you keep that shit up, I'm calling Rose and telling on you."

He turns and looks at me, alarm clearly written all over his face. "Fuck, bro, don't do that! She's in a pissy mood already. I'll be glad when the spawn of Satan is born. Then I can hopefully get my wife back. You know, the person I married. I'm excited about having a kid with my Rosie, but damn she's evil when she's pregnant."

I laugh at his ignorance, knowing that his mouth and lack of verbal filter is what sets Rose off. "That's a nice thing to say about you first child. I'll see you later, Em." I wave at him and head back inside to find Bella hiding, curled up under my desk.

"Hey little one, it's okay. I'm back now. Can you come out of there for me?"

She looks at me almost as if she's searching for something again, then nods her head.

"That was Emmett. He's one of the other agents on my team. I didn't tell him about you, so don't worry. It's not because I don't trust him, or think it was him, it's just…"

Fuck! How do I say this?

My hand goes to my hair and pulls at it. I feel Bella's hand on mine as she gently pries it away from my hair.

"But, you don't know who it is. And the less people that know about me the better, and safer I'll be."

I smile and nod at her, pleased that her voice is almost back to normal. It's still really raspy, but at least she can communicate easier. I'm glad she knows why I am doing this. As if she can read my mind, I hear her say, "My dad was a cop. He did stuff like this, too. You remind me of him, the way you speak to me."

I put my finger under her chin, and tilt her head up to look at me instead of the floor. "Is that a good thing?"

She moves her hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes, missing some in the process. "Always," she says, as I wipe my thumb over her cheek, collecting the few tears she missed.

I place my jacket over her shoulders and pull her close to me to walk her through the lab. My car is right outside the, and I already knocked out the bulb above it on my way back in, making it look like an accident. I even jotted out a 'fix it' memo for the maintenance department. I knew I would need the cover of darkness to get her out of the lab and into my car without prying eyes.

We exit the building and I help her to my car. As I start to drive away, I realize that I haven't thought this through very well. Where am I going to take her? I really should've thought about this ahead of time, but it's too late now. Fuck, I am going to have to take her home with me; I have no other choice. I have a spare room she can stay in if she feels safe being with me.

"Bella, would you feel safe if I took you home with me? It's just for a few nights. I'd feel better if I could keep an eye on you. Tomorrow, if you feel up to it, you could describe what he looks like…then hopefully we can get him, you know?"

She starts shaking.

"Bella, don't worry, I'm not going to push you. When you're ready to tell me, we can talk, okay? I'm sorry to do this, but I need to know everything happened, with as many details as you can give me. I want you to tell me everything, but I'm willing to go at your pace. The first thing I need, though, that will help me the most, is a description of the man. It will help me keep you safe. Can you give me any details you remember about him?"

She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to picture him in her mind. "He had dirty, really dirty, blond hair. Very tall, about your height. He smelled strange, too. I'm not sure what the smell was, but it was always there. I would smell him before I saw him. He kept me on so many drugs that I can't get a clear picture of his face in my mind, but I would recognize his voice if I heard it, and I would definitely know that smell."

Her voice gave out at the end, so I grab a bottle of water that I have in my car and hand it to her. "Drink this, Bella. No more talking for today. We'll talk more about this tomorrow, okay?"

I glance at her, seeing that she's having difficulty opening the bottle. I take the bottle from her and open it.

"Your fine motor skills should come back just like everything else. I'm pleased that you voice box is working so much better, and you look more…"

Fuck, I can't say alive! Don't be an asshole, Masen. I look at her immediately when I hear her laugh.

"Human," she says, offering me a smile and a nod. It was almost like she could hear my inner babble.

"Yes, human," I say as I hand her back her water before returning my hands to the steering wheel.

"Thanks," she says as she takes it, drinking most of it down.

I live in a security controlled building, so when we get there, I park down in the parking garage in my allotted space. I turn to Bella, and smile.

"We're here. Now all we need to do is get you in without any one seeing you."

I climb out and move around to the trunk, taking out my bag. I help Bella put on my FBI hat and jacket, and then wrap the lap blanket I keep in the trunk across her legs so her feet will be covered when I pick her up.

"Okay, here's the plan. Now that I have you all covered up so no one can see any of your features, much less any of your body, I'm going to carry you in. Just pretend that you are asleep, okay?" She nods.

"I'm going to tell them that you're my girlfriend, Marie, okay?" She nods again, so I pick her up, making sure she's fully covered, close the car door with my foot, and head inside.

"Good evening Mr. Cullen," Taylor smirks at me. I see his attention resting on Bella, as he asks the question I knew would come. "Who might this be?" The annoyingly short doorman is practically standing on his tiptoes, trying to see her face.

"This is my girlfriend, Marie. She just got to town and had a really long flight. Please excuse us." I hit the elevator button, trying not to snap at him.

"Girlfriend? I… ah... didn't know you liked… them," he smirks.

"Look, Taylor, I've had a long fucking day, and just want to get my girl upstairs to bed. Now do your fucking job, and stop being an ass. I'm sure you don't need any more complaints on you record, now, do you?" I raise my eyebrow at him.

"No, Mr. Masen. Sorry, Sir," he says.

I walk into the now open elevator and hit the top button, punch in security code, and wait for the elevator to scan my thumb. After it all registers, the doors slide shut and the elevator makes its way to the top floor without stopping.

"You can put me down if you want," Bella says.

I look down at her and shake my head. "Nope, you're okay here. Plus, it'll be faster this way." The elevator doors open, and I walk to the entrance of my condo. I know the security is overkill, but it's the way I wanted it to be. I don't trust many people, and since I often bring work home with me, I had extra security installed.

When we reach the door, I punch in my code and it snaps open. Once inside, I nudge it shut with my foot. I place Bella on the sofa and then turn on a light. "Okay, we should get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry."

She nods her head and bites her lip again. By this point, I know it means she wants to ask me something. I decide to ease her mind.

"Bella, you can ask me anything. I promise to be truthful with you. If I can't answer your question, I'll do my best to explain why, okay?"

She laughs and shakes her head as a pink tinge colors her cheeks. "Can I take a bath… smell... don't like it... need…"

I stop her there, since it's obviously upsetting her. From what I can tell, she's trying to express her desire to scrub away what the killer did to her body. I know from the swabs and tests I ran at the lab, that she's been sexually assaulted. The urge to rid him from her skin is perfectly normal.

"Sure, little one. I'll run a bath for you, and then get you some fresh clothes to wear. My sister is taller than you, but nowhere near as tall as I am. Her clothes will still be big on you, but won't swallow you like mine. I might even have a pair of her comfy flannel pajamas here. She likes to keep a few things here for when she comes over and crashes."

I squeeze her hand and move to get the bath water started for her. As I leave the room, I hear her thank me softly.

I set clothes for her in the bathroom, and then check on the water in the tub. Once that's done, I go out to the living room and help her into the bathroom.

"Bella, I need to get some stuff from my car. I'll only be gone about five minutes. No one can get up here besides from me. My sister has a key and visitors code, but I've shut down the access to any visitors. The only way anyone will get in here, is if I enter a code to let them in. Will you be okay?"

She nods at me, so I turn to leave. After only a step, I turn back to her, noticing she's already removed my jacket. "Bella, could you... well, could you keep the door open a little bit? I won't come in, I just want to make sure I can get to you quickly… just in case."

She nods her head at me, but keeps looking at the floor. I move closer to her and place my finger underneath her chin, lifting her head up so I can see her face. "I will not hurt you!" As I stare into her eyes, I will her to believe me, to see it in my eyes, to understand that she is safe with me.

"I know you won't. He just… he bathed me all the time," she says as she steps away from me.

"Trust in me, Bella. I will keep you safe."

She nods again, so without another word, I walk out the door. I watch silently as she closes it most of the way, only leaving a few inches of space between the door and the frame. She glances up at me through the gap and gives me a timid smile, which I return before making my way to the security control panel. I enter in the code that deactivates all other codes before walking out the front door. Closing it behind me, I turn and punch in the code my sister uses. When entrance is denied and I'm satisfied that Bella is safe, I get in the elevator and make my way down to the car.

I grab the box Emmett gave me, as well as my briefcase and medical bag. Piling everything on the small cart I snatched from the lobby, I head back inside.

After getting everything up to my condo, I move to the bathroom to check on Bella. I hear her moving around in the water, and can see her back as I glance in. Satisfied that she's okay, I decide to get some things done.

I call and order dinner, but because I don't know what Bella likes, I get a large variety. I pay over the phone with my credit card, and leave a generous tip once they promise it will be delivered within the next thirty minutes. I call down to the lobby, asking Taylor to call when the food arrives. It's normal for me to come down whenever I order in, so there won't be any red flags there. Taylor assures me he'll let me know, so I thank him and hang up, only to hear Bella crying.

I rush down the hall to the bathroom door. "Bella, honey, what's wrong?" There is no immediate answer, and I start to worry even more. "Bella, is it okay for me to come in?"

I push the door slowly with my hand, when I hear her faintly say, "yeah." Entering the room, I keep my eyes on hers, trying to maintain her comfort level.

"What's wrong? Is there something I can help you with?" I ask, gently brushing her hair behind her ears.

I can see the tears welling in her eyes. "I can't wash my hair. My arms… so sore. Can't… move above my head."

I give her a nod. "Okay, I can wash your hair for you. I'll help you get dressed, too, if want. After we eat, I need to take your vitals again, and check you reflexes. I also need to draw more blood, but I can use my lab here to analyze it." I stop talking then, and using my sister's shampoo and conditioner, I thoroughly wash her hair.

When I'm done, I notice that she's giving me a puzzled look. "You have a home lab?"

I smile and continue helping her get clean by washing her back. "Yeah, I am a total geek. The lab at work is always busy and disorganized, so when I bought this condo last year, I purchased the other one on this floor, too. I turned them into one larger unit, and added my own security measures."

"FBI…must pay well," she giggled.

Happy to hear her laughter, I chuckle with her and help her stand and step out of the tub. As I dry her off and wrap her hair in a towel, I tell her a bit more about me.

"Well yes, the FBI pays well, but this condo is all thanks to a large inheritance left to me by my father's parents. Even after splitting it evenly with my sister, it was a significant amount of money. I could quit my job and never work another day in my life, and still be financially sound."

I have her all dry now, so I help her put the clothes on that I picked out for her. I can sense that she's still frightened, so I try to reassure her once more. "I will use any or all of the money I have to keep you safe, Bella. You're safe here with me." I pick her up and carry her in to the living room. Setting her down on the sofa, I offer her another bottle of water.

It doesn't take long for dinner to arrive, and we eat in relative silence. I can see she's exhausted, so I quickly check her over, and draw the blood I need for my tests. I pick her up and walk around the entire apartment, showing her where I'll be working and sleeping. When I'm done with the small tour, I take her into her room.

"I need to go work in my lab for a little while. If you need anything, press this button and I'll come right away. Here's the remote for the TV, and I left the bathroom light on for you. I'll be in the lab for a while, and then in my room after that. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

When she nods, I offer her a reassuring smile and then head off to the lab to get to work. I have a fake autopsy report to write up, and I know it's going to take some time. I quickly start the testing I need done on the blood before making my way over to the box of drugs. After I have a better idea of what I'm dealing with and have the results of the toxicology screening, I write up a detailed report. I list the cause of death as an overdose on Tetrodotoxin, and then explain the state of body, listing out all the injuries and evidence collected. Finally, at about three in the morning, I wrap up, read over it, and then satisfied, leave my lab. I quietly check on Bella, who is fast asleep, before I head to bed.

I'm sound asleep when I feel someone shaking me. "Edward?" I hear the female voice.

"For fucks sake Lilly, let me sleep!" I mumble. Stupid fucking sister is always annoying me. "Edward, its Bella."

Fuck! Who is Bella?

Slowly, the events from the day before return. When realization strikes, I jump up and end up falling off my bed and onto my ass again.

"I'm sorry, Edward! Are you okay?" I look up at Bella, who looks really worried.

So it wasn't a dream.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry," I say, trying to give her a smile, but failing miserably. "I'm still pretty beat. What did you need, little one?"

"I am really sorry, but just… I want to know if I could make something eat." Bella looks terrified to even be asking.

I feel like a total dip shit. "Bella, that's fine, honey. I should've explained better last night. You really don't need to ask me for anything; just take it, okay? How about this... give me ten minutes to take a shower, and I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast, okay?"

She nods, and heads out of my bedroom. I look over at the clock and see that it's nine a.m. Well shit, I'm late for work. I pull out my phone and call in, saying that I won't be there until later this afternoon. I take a quick shower, get dressed, and meet Bella in the kitchen. It looks as if she's made pancakes for us, and my stomach growls automatically. I smile at her as I take a seat at the table.

She meets my gaze and takes a deep breath.

"Okay, I am just going to tell you what I remember now. I've been thinking about it all morning. I know that you're going to want to ask questions, but let me get through this first, please. You can save them up and ask them at the end." She has a determined look about her, and I nod before grabbing my note pad and pen.

"I left my apartment about six after I said good night to Angela. She was waiting on Ben because he was taking her out for the night. I headed downstairs, and just before I got in my truck, I felt something hit my neck. When I reached back to wipe it, I didn't feel anything, so I shrugged it off, climbed in my truck, and headed for work.

"I only drove for about five or ten minutes before my head started to hurt. When my vision became hazy, I slowed down and then pulled off to the side of the road, as far as I could.

"Within a few minutes, there was a car behind me with a single rotating red light on the dash. The driver was wearing an FBI hat and jacket. I stayed in my truck as approached the window and tapped on it. When he asked me to step out of the vehicle, I declined, telling him I needed to see his badge first. He held it flush against the window and I examined it carefully. All I can remember, though, are the letters M, U, and C," Bella sighed.

"Anyway, after he showed it to me, he asked if I had been drinking and said he needed to see my driver's license. I told him I hadn't been drinking while I handed him my license, then went on to explain about my head while I stepped out of the truck.

"When I explained that I would call my roommate to come pick me up, he nodded his head at me. For some reason, the call wouldn't go through, though, when I tried. I told him that he could go because I had to wait for a taxi, and that I would send Ben to pick my truck up.

"I told him it should only take half an hour or so, but as I reached in the truck to get my purse, he grabbed my arm. 'Sorry Bella, but I don't think that I good idea... Leaving you here on your own, that is', he told me.

"In that moment, I knew that I was in trouble. My driver's license says my name is Isabella, and I hadn't told him any different, so there was no way he should have known my nickname.

"I always carry a can of pepper-spray in my truck, so I tried reaching for it without giving away that I knew something wasn't right. I must've done a poor job, because he suddenly grabbed me roughly, saying that I was either really smart, or really stupid. Twisting my arms behind my back, he laughed in my ear as I felt a sharp jab. Within seconds, everything went black.

"I don't know how long I was out for, but when I came to, I couldn't move. I was naked, and could hear him moving around before I dozed off again.

"I woke up the second time to the feel of his hands on my body. He was washing me with that strongly scented honey soap. As hard as I try, I still can't seem to focus on his face, it was too fuzzy. I felt him touch different parts of my body," she sniffs, trying to hold back her emotions.

I can tell she's close to losing it, and I want her to take a break. I'm about to suggest it, but before I can, she holds up her hand and shakes her head, effectively stopping me before I can speak. It's like she can read my mind, sometimes.

"I don't remember much. Not the time, or the date, or even how long I'd been there. I know he raped me more than once, though, and I was kept on that damn table almost the whole time. He would only let me off once every once in a while.

"He would bathe me a lot, and let me eat now and again. It didn't happen often and was never much at all. It was freaky, really. There were times that he would dress me up and put some make-up on me. He would then sit me down at a table, and because I couldn't move, he would spoon feed me broth.

"He would have a conversation with me, acting like we were out on a date. After the 'date,' he would inject me with something, carry me back to the table, and he… he… he would rape me again. I hated those days the most. Some days, I just felt different... um... down below, but I would always remember those days. Even if I tried, I couldn't forget what he had done to cause me to feel that way.

"I'm not sure how much time passed, but I think it was yesterday. He started touching me, but I could actually move a little. He started to give me my daily injection, but his phone started ringing. He moved away and turned his back to me as he talked. It was difficult, but I managed to hide the syringe under my arm. When he walked back in, I was careful to not move as he started touching me again.

"I waited a minute and then dug my nails into him, trying to inject him with the needle, but I couldn't. He got mad and hit me hard. Turning the needle on me, he injected me with ease. I watched in a daze as he refilled the syringe and pushed that into my arm, too. That's when everything went black, and the next thing I remember, is waking up to you looking at me. What's the date today, anyway?"

I take a deep breath, trying to digest everything Bella has just said. We were so wrong in what we thought; he doesn't kill them first, he drugs them to make them appear dead. Then he rapes them and does strange dating rituals with them. He literally puts these girls through months of hell.

Realizing that Bella asked a question, I tell her that today is the first of November. I'm not at all prepared for her reaction as she breaks down crying.

I get her calmed down a little before I help her back to her room. Once she's on the bed, I check her over and frown when I see that her blood pressure and heart rate are a little elevated. Still, her vitals are much better than they were last night. It appears that the drugs are just about out of her system and that she won't have too many lingering effects.

I make sure she's settled in for the afternoon before heading for work. I hate to leave her, but I've got to hand in her autopsy report and drop some other stuff off at the lab.

Six months later

Bella has been here with me for six months now. A week after she got here, I came up with the idea of get her an FBI disguise, so that she could go out in public and not be cooped up in my apartment all day. The disguise included a blonde wig, blue tinted contacts, and a fake belly to make her look more rounded. I then gave her a cell phone, so that if she did go out, she could text me every thirty minutes. Along with that cell phone, I gave her a tracking device so I could view her whereabouts at all times.

To say these last six months have been hard on her, would be an understatement. She's sad that her family all thinks she's dead, but decided to keep it that way until we found the person responsible. I had to stay with her the day her mom, step-father, Angela, and Ben, attended her wake because she broke down all over again. Then there was the day she found the marking on her neck. I held her all night after she tried unsuccessfully to scrub it off.

The nightmares were the worst. Almost every night for the first few months, she would end up curled in a fetal position at the bottom of my bed. It didn't take long before I was accustomed to it, and when I was awoken to the sound of her whimpers, I would pull her up next to me. It was clear that she was still terrified, but not of me anymore.

During the second week of her stay, I took her out in public for the first time. We just went to the park and back, but I knew she needed the short trip so she could try to gain back some of what she lost.

During the third week, I brought her a picture of Carlisle as well recording of his voice. When she was sure it wasn't him, I dressed her up in her disguise and asked him to come over. I told him I wanted to introduced him to my girlfriend. After a few minutes of idle chitchat, I left him in the living room and went to get Bella from my bedroom; I had set up a monitor in there, where she could see us as well as hear our conversation.

Once I was sure she was calm, I wrapped her securely in my arms, and brought her out to the living room with me. Because she was wearing her disguise, Carlisle didn't recognize her as one of the victims. He held his hand out in greeting, but then gave me a puzzled look as she leaned forward and sniffed it instead. His eyes widened when he saw that my gun was out and pointed directly at him. When Bella quickly backed up and informed me that he wasn't the killer, I holstered my gun.

Carlisle had been dumbfounded. He just kept looking between the two of us warily, until I told him the whole story. He wasn't happy that had I kept things from him, but understood why I did it. After all, neither the skin sample nor the fingerprint have turned up anything.

We used the same test we had done with Carlisle, on Emmett the following week. It went a lot smoother the second time around, since there were now two of us that had guns. Poor Emmett just about shit himself, though. Jasper was next, and it went about the same.

Bella was sitting with the four of us for about five minutes, when Jasper removed his hat to run his hands though his hair. Without any explanation, Bella started having a full blown panic attack. It took me over an hour to calm her down so we could figure out what had happened. Not to mention, during that time, Jasper was handcuffed and held down by both Emmett and Carlisle.

It turns out that Jasper has the same hair color, as our killer. To make things easier on Bella, he now keeps it fully covered whenever she's around. Jasper understood the situation, and was able to forgive us for the rash treatment he received at our hands.

Week six, she met Esme, Rose, Alice and my sister Lilly. To this day, we are the only eight people that know she's alive. It helps both of us to know that there are others to look out for her now, too. When I'm at work, the girls come over to my apartment or take Bella out somewhere. She still wears the same disguise, and the building security all know her as Marie. It helps that we all call her Marie all the time, too. You can never be too cautious. I'm the only one that ever calls her Bella, and that's only when we're in private.

The girls are at the mall today. Bella has been able to gain back some of the weight she lost, so she needed to buy some better fitting clothes. Well, according to Alice she did, anyway. It's only been about twenty minutes since her last text, so I'm surprised to see her number flash across the screen on my cell phone.

"Hi, Marie! How are you, honey?" I look around to see who's here, and I'm glad that apart from Emmett and Carlisle, there only another two agents.

"He's here! Oh God! I smelled him; I know he's here!" I hear her frantically whisper into the phone.

"Bella, where are the girls? I need you to stay on the phone with me while you go to them, okay? We're on our way." I turn and look directly at Carlisle, who nods in response as he grabs his gun and badge. I hear Rose talking to Bella, but she stays on the phone with me like I asked her to.

"They're at the mall and Bella smells him. We need to get there now!" I am out the door before I even finish barking out my explanation to Emmett and Carlisle. "Bella, I'll be there I five minutes, okay? Try to keep calm for me, please. I'm on my way, little one," I tell her as I charge down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Edward, I am scared! I don't want to go back there." I hear the fear in her voice and my heart aches. I also hear Esme talking, trying to calm her down. Then Rose is in the background, telling a security guard to fuck off, and that he's not taking Bella anywhere.

When I hear that some fuck want to take her someplace, I start jumping the down the stairs even faster; it's amazing I don't end up killing myself with my speed. I drive as fast as I can with only one hand, because I refuse to get off the phone with Bella. From the time she called until we arrived at the mall, only fifteen minutes had passed.

I frantically search the crowds for her, and when I finally spot her, I take off running at full speed. Once she's in front of me, I pull her to me in a tight hug, and whisper in her ear. "Bella, look up, honey. I'm here." She calms down instantly when she realizes she's in my arms.

"Look, I don't care who she was on the phone with, or who you are. She caused a disturbance, so I need to move her. I'm taking her to the security office until the police get here." With that said, he goes to grab her.

Not giving a shit where I am, I pull my gun. "FBI! Stop and move away from the girl, right now." The security guard looks at me with wide eyes as he raises his hands and slowly backs away. A second later, I hear the others quickly approaching. As Emmett deals with the security guard, I put my gun away and smile as I feel her body finally relax into mine.

"I was waiting for the girls out here because I needed to sit down for a few minutes. I had just picked up my new book and thought I'd read it until they came out of the store. The woman passing by behind me, was on her phone and accidentally ran into someone, causing the person to drop their keys. In that moment, I knew it was him. He was right behind me, and when he picked up his keys, I smelled him. At first, I thought it was imagination, but then he called her a stupid bitch. The voice was so familiar, but by the time I turned to look at him, he had already moved away. I only saw him from behind, but by the color of his hair, there's no doubt it was him... I called you right way."

"Good girl! You did really good, but I need you to calm down now, okay?" She's still curled up against me, showing no sign of letting go, but is starting to calm down a little. I keep her with me as I talk to Carlisle and Emmett. It takes another forty minutes or so before she finally loosens her hold on me. When I can finally pull away from her, and she's still calm, I have Jasper escort her and the girls back to my place. Bella hugs me tightly before she leaves, and I tell her I'm proud of her.

Carlisle, Emmett, and I get copies of all the video surveillance tapes to look over. The mall knows something has happened, but they don't know what. They get a little huffy when we won't share any information with them about what's taken place.

After about thirty minutes of looking through the tapes, Emmett says he has something. We watch as Bella sits down on the bench. The other girls go in the store, just like she said, and Bella pulls her book out. She sits there for about ten minutes before we see the women on her phone, followed by the guy that drops his keys. We zoom in, and at first, all I can do I focus on Bella's face and how scared she looks. Finally, my eyes focus in on the face of the killer.

"Oh, fuck, that's James! What the hell?" Emmett just about screams. "Shit, this is huge! We need as much on him as possible. This isn't going to be as straight forward as we thought."

James Cutter is an FBI photographer. His father is high up in the ranks here, and is a complete bastard. James is usually always alone and never really talks much to anyone. I never would have thought he was capable of something like this, but looking back at everything Bella said, it all fit. Even Jasper's profile fit him well. He has a strong metallic smell that's mixed with acid. Photographers uses certain chemicals in film developing, and while most have now gone digital, James still uses film for most cases. That smell would stay with you if you used it all the time.

After we've finished looking at the tapes, I call Bella to see how she's doing. Rose tells me that Jasper gave her something to help her sleep, and that Esme and Alice are lying down with her. As I get off the phone, I find that Carlisle has already acquired a warrant to search James' apartment. As we all head out, everyone else is informed on what's been happening. Carlisle leaves out the part about Bella being alive, though, claiming that we received a tip through the hotline.

The search of James' place, gives us the mother lode of evidence. There's no way that Bella will have to attend court or testify to get a conviction; he has pictures and video tapes of all the victims, things only the killer would have. We collected everything we could from his home, and Carlisle issued an APB for his arrest.

His father, Marcus, came in with guns blazing. He is furious, shouting about how everyone is setting his son up. Aro, Marcus' boss, comes in to see what's going on and Marcus shuts right up. After explaining things, Aro demands to know what led us to the search of James' residence. We have no choice but to tell him about Bella. He's pissed that he was kept out of the loop, but at the same time, pats me on the back for a job well done.

As the day goes on and there is no sign of James, I start to worry, so I call my house frequently to check on Bella. She's finally awake this time when I call, so I actually speak to her instead of Rose or my mom. After talking for several minutes, Aro grabs the cell from me and tells Bella that I'm on my way home. He then kicks me out of the office, and tells me to take tomorrow off. He says he'll call me a soon as James is apprehended.

I arrive home, tell the others that they can go, and then take a seat next to Bella. As I pull her into my arms, I do my best to reassure her. "They're going to get him. He can't hide now because his face is all over the news. Don't worry, they'll find him and the will arrest him."

She nods, silently tell me she believes me. We relax on the couch with our heads at opposite ends and our legs meeting in the middle. While watching some cheesy movies, I rub her feet. It's something I always do when we're together like this.

"Edward, can I sleep in your room with you tonight?" Bella asks, looking at me as her head rests on the back of the couch.

I give her a smile and nod. "Yeah, of course. As I told you before, you don't even have to ask."

Bella and I had been in bed for a few hours when I hear some unexpected noises. I wake her up by placing my hand over her mouth, and tell her to stay where she is. I hear another noise, confirming my suspicion that there's someone in my apartment.

I grab up my gun, and then hand Bella my cell, telling her to call Emmett. I head out of the room, slowly making my way down the hall. I enter the living room, having not found anything, when I hear something behind me. As I move to turn, I get tackled from behind. The impact when I hit the floor, knocks my gun from my hand and sends it flying across the floor.

"You thought you could take my girl, you fucker! She's mine, and I need to finish the job. She has to die," James growls out at me. I struggle with him as he tries to inject me with something.

"James, give up now! The FBI is on their way and they will take you down."

"No! I'll kill her before that happens. She has to die! You work with these girls; you know how pretty they are once they're dead."

I push the fucker off me and hit him square in the face just as he's grabbing for his gun. His weapon falls to the ground, so I scramble to get to mine. I feel James trying to grab me again, so I kick him once more. We both end up reaching for his gun, but he's faster and gains the upper hand. Before I can contemplate what exactly happened, he's on top of me and the gun is pointed directly at me.

"You should've let me have her; she's not worth this. Don't worry, though. I'll make sure she's beautiful on her last day." He looks me directly in the eye, and aims his gun at my head.

"She is worth fighting for," I tell him. I close my eyes, praying that Emmett gets here before James has a chance to kill her. I hear the gun go off, but feel nothing. I open my eyes as I hear a cry of pain flowed by loud screaming. I see James holding his bloody shoulder, aiming the gun higher now. As I turn around, I see Bella firing my gun again. I quickly move to her side, hearing James fall to the floor. Bella drops to her knees at the same time, and I move to take my gun from her before pulling her toward me.

"FBI! Everyone stay where you are!"

I look up as Emmett and half a dozen other FBI agents run into my apartment. Emmett goes over to James, who is somehow still breathing despite the fact that Bella shot him twice. The first bullet hit him in the left shoulder and the second was through left side of his head. Carlisle comes over to Bella and me, asking if we're okay. I push away the EMT who's trying to examine Bella, and scoop her into my arms so I can get her out of the apartment.

I end up taking her to a nearby hotel, and once there, I look her over. She pushes me away, shaking her head, and then takes care of my busted lip and sore ribs.

6months later

The last six months have been crazy. James is still alive, but due to the impact of the bullets, he can no longer use is right side of his body. He can hardly speak, and is confined to a wheelchair.

James was found guilty of eleven counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder, twelve counts of felony kidnapping, twelve counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of assaulting an officer, and one count of breaking and entering. James also was charged with the possession of several illegal substances, such as Tetrodotoxin and Rohypnol.

It turns out that Marcus was the one who tipped off James, when he learned that Bella was alive. He also helped that bastard get into my condo. Marcus is serving a life sentence for his part in everything; Aro insisted that he be prosecuted to the fullest existent of the law.

Once things had settled down, we informed Bella's family that she was alive. Renee, Bella's mother, was pissed that she had been kept in the dark, and demanded that Bella come home with her. She even slapped me across the face once, and called me every name in the book. Nothing could calm her down. Carlisle asked if I want to press charges, but I said no. When Renee stood up and grabbed Bella's arm, saying she was going to take her, Bella burst out laughing. We all just stopped and stared at her until she started shouting at Renee.

"Look Renee, I know you love me, but you never looked after me. I was always the one that looked after you. After dad died, I was the adult; someone had to be.

"So you just listen here: I am fine! I'm seeing someone who is helping me come to terms with what happened to me. And just so you know, I decide where I'm going, not you. I'm an adult, and I'm staying right where I am."

Renee went to interrupt her, but Bella held her hand up. "Look, Mom, I love you, and I missed talking to you. I'm sorry for what you went through because you thought I was dead, but Edward and the FBI did the right thing. I agree with him completely. Besides, it was my choice to keep the fact that I was alive from you, not his.

"Edward saved me, mom. We've been through a lot this past six months and he is truly my friend. I don't give a fuck who here thinks that it isn't right, or that it goes against the fucking book. He's my friend, and I love him for protecting me the way that he does. How dare you hit him, mom?" After about thirty minutes, Renee caved and let Bella make her own choices.

Angela and Ben took the news a lot better, and were both extremely happy to see that Bella is alive. The media did everything they could to gather information on the story, and somehow managed to get a photo of Bella. She was the top news story for about a month.

Bella was unable to go back to my apartment after shooting James, and I wasn't super comfortable with it either, so we both moved. Bella wanted her own apartment, and that worried me; I wanted her to move back in with me. I tried not to over think about why I felt like this, though. Thankfully, our new apartments are right across the hall from each other. We both have keys to each other's apartments, too, which helps put my mind at ease.

Like Bella told Renee: we are friends. In fact, Bella is one of the closest friends I have. Throughout the six months we spent living together, we got to know each other quite well. Over the last six months, we've strengthened that friendship and developed a closer bond than we had before.

Tonight is Bella's twenty-second birthday, and the one year anniversary of the night we met, so we've planned dinner and a movie night for just the two of us. Neither of us really enjoy the 'anniversary' of when and how we met, but we're just happy that we now have each other.

"Come on, girl. Bring me food, now!" I give her my best demanding voice, right before I'm smacked in the head with an orange. "Shit, stop hitting me with stuff and feed me already. I am wasting away over here! How long until its ready?"

She turns around to look at me, and then rolls her eyes. "Look, I need another five minutes and it'll be done. Then it'll take me about two minutes to plate it and bring it to the table... So, in roughly eight minutes, you can start eating... or you can piss me off and go hungry. And if you ruin dinner, I'll send that boogieman over to your apartment tonight!" She arches her eyebrow at me.

"No need to be mean, woman. I wish I hadn't taught you to be more aggressive, or told you that story a year ago about being scared of the boogieman." She laughs, picking up our plates and heading for the couch. I grab our drinks and follow right behind her.

We have a great dinner and Bella ends up lying her side in front of me. I have one arm under her neck and the other around waist. Bella has her hand in mine, and turns to me as the movie ends. Without even really thinking about it, I kiss her forehead.

"Tired?" I whisper questioningly to her, and she nods back at me. "Do you want me to stay over?" She bites her lip before nodding again. I've noticed that over the last three months that Bella has been wanting to say something to me. I can tell she's been keeping something from me. I've been noticing it more in the last few weeks, though.

I push her hair away from her face so I can see her more clearly. She has become so important to me. Over the year that we've known each other, I've developed strong feelings for her. One might even say that I love her. Fuck, who am I kidding? I am completely and utterly in love with Bella, but I'm afraid to tell her.

Jasper suggests that I see a Psychiatrist about it. He thinks what I feel is 'transference.' That I only have these feelings because of what we went through. I know that is not the case, though. When I was taking care of her, I felt the need to protect her. Never did I feel this desire to be in love with her.

My feelings of love started developing about four months ago. I can't pinpoint it exactly. I do know that I was upset that first week after James was arrested. I was terrified when Renee said she was taking Bella home.

Four months ago, when Renee came back, asking again that Bella come back home with her, the pain I felt was unbearable. Renee had moved, and was living in Los Angeles at the time. The pain caused by just the thought of Bella leaving, was as if someone was ripping out my heart. I couldn't calm down, and was constantly worried about it until Bella told me that she was staying. I pulled her in for a hug and didn't want to let her go. That's when it hit me: I was in love with Bella Swan.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when she starts to speak. "Edward, there's something I need to talk to you about. I've been talking non-stop about this with my Psychiatrist over the past few months but now I think I need to tell you."

Shit, fuck! Calm down, Masen.

"I was scared to tell this because I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends anymore. Deep down, I know that won't be the case, though. Still, I want you to know that our friendship means so much to me."

I grab her hand, interrupting her. "It means a lot to me too; everything, in fact."

"I want you to be truthful, Edward. Don't go sparing my feelings or any of that other gentlemanly crap. Give it to me straight, do you promise?"

I nod my head at her. "Of course, always."

"Edward, I have strong feelings for you. Feelings that are deeper than just those of friendship." I feel like I'm going into shock; she feels the same I do! "I want to know if you feel the same. It's okay if you don't, though. Jane said that this could just be transference…"

At this, I'm pulled out of my shock, and before my brain can even think about it, I place my lips on her and kiss her. I'm about to pull back, when I feel her return the kiss. I place my hand on her cheek and deepen the kiss. I smile at her as we finally break apart. "Yeah, but that's not what this is." She waves her hand between us.

"No, it's not… Bella, I'm in love with you. There will never be anyone who completes me the way you do. You are the love of my life, my soulmate; without you I'm not whole."

I look at Bella and I see the tears in her eyes, "I feel that way, too."

I wipe her tears away, knowing that they're tears of joy. "So does this mean I can take you on a date?" She nods her head and I lean in to kiss her again.

1year later

This has been the year of change for me. Both of my parents love Bella, and have welcomed her into our family with open arms. Lilly loves it that she's no longer the youngest at every get-together now, too. She often teases me about robbing the cradle, but I know she truly loves Bella.

Bella and I are getting married. Some people… Renee… think that we're rushing it, but we love each other; I know there will never be another I want to be with. Bella also feels the same way, so why wait?

Our first date went really well. It was the best date of my life, and I've been on a lot over the years thanks to Alice and her propensity for setting me up on blind dates.

Bella and I moved in together again two months later, where we slept in the same bed every night. Two months after she moved in, we made love for the first time. It was another two months after that, before we really started having sex, and by really, I mean every day. I still have trouble keeping my hands off of her. It's okay though, because I know she suffers from the same problem. She always wants to touch me, and has even become the aggressor in the bedroom as often as I have.

I asked Bella to marry me three months ago. To say that Renee was unhappy, would be an understatement. She flew straight here, shouting and demanding that Bella move with her to her stable home, now in Texas. Bella put her foot down and made it clear to Renee that she needed to stop all her shit, or she wouldn't have either of us in her life anymore. Renee went home thinking Bella would cave, but she didn't. Renee arrived yesterday, after hearing that our wedding would be today, on Bella's twenty-third birthday. She's still not happy, but has kept her mouth shut so far.

Most people don't understand why Bella chose today to get married, but she wanted to change it in her mind forever. Halloween would no longer be the day she woke up from the dead in a morgue, it would become the day she would marry the man she will love forever. I agree and stand by her always, so here we are, becoming man and wife.

Five years later

"Oh, oh my god… Edward! Harder…fuck, I am cumming…" Bella pants out. As I thrust deeply into her wet tightness, my climax sends chills down to my toes. Rolling our bodies, I pull her closer to me and kiss her head.

"Yeah, I think I need your mom to take the kids for the weekend more often," I say. Bella nods her head in agreement.

Three years after we were married Bella gave birth to our son, Anthony. Almost eighteen months later, came our daughter Sophia. I became Renee's favorite person once the grandchildren were born... Surprise, surprise!

She bought a house close to ours, and comes to visit every fourth month, for two weeks. This time, she took the kids for the entire weekend. I have the weekend off, so Bella and I can have some time alone.

Bella is working on writing her own book, as well as being an editor. She works mainly from home, and is with our children full-time. I've taken on a lighter load at the FBI, too. I used to work eighty to a hundred hours a week, but now average sixty at the most. Plus, I always have Saturdays and Sundays off.

Last year, the wound on Bella's neck finally healed enough for her to get a tattoo over it. She ended up getting a small set of wings with my initials, E.M., in the middle. She also got two butterflies, a blue one with A.M. for Anthony, and a pink one with S.M. for Sophia.

James is still alive, but is in a wheel chair. He has to be spoon fed, and will never regain the use of his right side. Some people say its Political justice for what he did, but personally, I don't think there is anyone out there, that deserves to be punished more.

"You think too much, Masen. You up for round five yet? I don't think you made me scream loud enough yet to get Officer Black to come check on my safety again." She flutters her eyebrows at me.

Ten weeks after Anthony was born, my parents took him overnight, and I got carried away with Bella. I was so enthusiastic about being back inside my wife, that we may have gotten a tad bit out of hand. I had Bella screaming my name at the top of her lungs, not to mention a few other things. I suppose it was the words 'don't' and 'stop' that caused the neighbors to call the police.

To say I was surprised when a person started pounding on the door, yelling that he was the police, is an understatement. One of the officers was the one and only Jacob 'I am dick' Black. Once they spoke to both of us and deemed my wife healthy and apparently unbeaten, they told us someone reported a woman screaming for what sounded like help from this address. Since that call, Officer Black seems to find reasons to stop by unannounced. He has a crush on my wife, and it's kind of funny to watch that dog drool all over her. I know that she belongs to me, so he can drool all he wants, as long as he never touches her. He knows it, too!

"Well, I need you scream louder, then. The mutt hasn't come by in three months. So, baby, are you ready to scream my name some more?"

She stands and walks over to the wall, spreads her feet apart and looks back over her shoulder. "Oh yes, I am ready to scream. Come over here and give me something to scream about."

I give her my cocky smile as I pull her back from the wall and pick her up so her legs are around my waist. I thrust deeply into her moist heat as I push her body so it's now resting back against the wall. I continue to thrust deeply into my wife as I hear her screaming my name over and over again.

I think she may actually be louder now, than she has ever been before. When I finally thrust into her for the last time, I feel something deeper. There's a connection there; it's like I know that I just gave my wife something that we've both been wanting: baby number three.

As we fall into a heap on the ground, I hear the siren in the distance, getting closer and closer to the house. "You've done it now baby. We better get dressed." I smile at her "l... Love... You," I say, kissing her with each word.

"I love you, too. Always."

The way that Bella and I met, may be one of the most horrific and frightening stories out there, but we're ending it with the greatest love story I will ever know. And, our love story is forever.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Happy Halloween Everyone! Please leave a small review after you've read this. Thank you all!

Nikky – Weekitty & Kasi - TeamAllTwilight


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